Following the staging of the Irish Open from Ryston Pitch and Putt Club over the weekend, John Manning takes a look back at the last nine stagings of the event with some interesting facts spanning the years at the Irish open. 

Low 54-hole winning aggregate in the Irish Open remains the 27 under par 135 returned by Ireland's Damien Fleming at Royal Meath in 2009 and equalled by Frank Dineen (Ireland) at Rocklodge in 2016. William Fitzgerald’s 138 represents the fourth best 54-hole victory tally since the event’s inception in 2009. 

Low ladies 54-hole winning total is Ireland’s Geraldine Ward's 148 at Seapoint in 2018. Tara Dillon’s eleven under return at Ryston constitutes the second best three-round winning ladies score in the event’s history.

The low 36-hole winning aggregates are Pat Malone’s 90 and Sarah O’Neill’s 110, both recorded at the Covid-enforced shorter format 2020 tournament at Lough Owel.

Highest winning men's aggregate of 148 was returned by Frank Dineen (Ireland) at R.G.S.C. in 2010 (which tied him with Old County’s Stephen Murray).  So Frank Dineen holds both the lowest (joint) and highest record winning three-round aggregates. 

Ireland's Breda White won the 2016 ladies Irish Open at Rocklodge with 162, which is the highest winning total in the nine Opens to date.

Damien Fleming (2009, 2011 2018) of Ireland has won three Irish Opens. Fellow countryman Frank Dineen (Ireland) triumphed on two occasions, in 2010 and 2016. Another multiple winner is Chrissie Byrne (Ireland), a two-time Irish ladies Open winner in 2009 and 2010. 

Ireland's EamonGibney won by three strokes at Glenville in 2014.  That is the biggest winning margin in history.  Frank Dineen won the first play-off at R.G.S.C. in 2010 while the William Fitzgerald, Kieran Earls, David Sexton triad is the first-ever three-way play-off.

Tracey McGrath clinched the 2011 ladies Open by a comprehensive six shot margin at Deerpark, a winning cushionmatched by Geraldine Ward in 2018 and Eleanor Walsh in 2022.  There hasn’t yet been a ladies play-off but Chrissie Byrne (2009) and her sister Marian (2014) were both single shot victors.

Some players have fine Irish Open records, without actually winning the title.  Ireland's Bryan Delaney has been runner-up (2009) and 3rd (2016), now matched by Bruff’s Kieran Earls, second this year after a 2022 third placing.  Liam O’Donovan (Ireland) has finished on the podium in 2014 (second) and in 2016 (fourth).  Esther de Schiffart (Netherlands) was runner-up in 2011, third in 2018 and 2022 along withbeing best non-Irish lady on seven occasions. 

Ireland’s Tracey McGrath (the champion in 2011) finished in the top two in each of the first four stagings of the ladies Irish Open.

At Ryston, 2022 Ladies champion Eleanor Walsh and 2016 victor Breda White both recorded their second podium finishes, second and third respectively.

No course has yet hosted the Irish Open on more than one occasion.  Inaugural host venue Royal Meath was also the venue for the 2012 World Cup.  John Walsh, whose best Irish Open finish is fourth at Lough Owelin 2020, produced the best Strokeplay score at that 2012 World Cup with -14 (for two rounds).

2010 host location R.G.S.C. was also the scene of international Pitch and Putt in 2008 when Ireland defeated The Netherlandsto retain the Willie Parker Challenge Cup over the Kingswood layout.

Best senior (Over 55) score in the tournament was recorded by Frank Ryan (Ireland) in 2018 when the Kildare Inter-County player finished third overall at Seapoint with 141. Officially, the low senior three-round winning aggregate is two-time European Team championship winnerSean Harkins’ 145 at Ryston while Barry Morrissey (Ireland) totalled 101 in the 2020 two-round tournament at Lough Owel.

Glenville was the venue for the 2014 Irish Open. Glenville had previously seen international competition in 1997 when Ireland emerged victorious in a Quadrangular tournament, which also featured Australia, Canada and England. 2024 Irish Open competitors, Ray Murphy and John Walsh, played for Ireland in that tournament 27 years ago.

42 is the lowest single eighteen hole round that has been recorded at the Irish Open.  The score has been produced in all three rounds (first, second and final) and has been achieved a total of five times.  Bryan Delaney shot 42 in the 2009 second round at Royal Meath.  Winner Damien Fleming scored 42 in the final round.  Ireland’s Paudie O’Sullivan was round Deerpark in 42 during the 2011 first round.  At Rocklodge, Damien Fleming became the only player to shoot 42 twice with a 12 under par second round effort.  Derek Courtney is the other player to record a 42 – in the 2011 final round.

The lowest 36-hole score was Bryan Delaney’s 88 at Rocklodgein 2016. 95 was the highest leading overnight score (at R.G.S.C. in 2010 and at Tullamore in 2022).

Ann Hall and Chrissie Byrne both fired 47s in the opening round at Royal Meath in 2009.  Those remain the lowest 18-hole scores returned by ladies at an Irish Open.

The Best 36-hole ladies score of 99 was jointly achieved at Royal Meath by Ann Hall and Chrissie Byrne.  107 in 2016 is the highest leading ladies overnight 36-hole aggregate in the history of the Irish Open while 110 is the highest 36-hole aggregate overall.

Low final round has been scored by the winner on three occasions – by Damien Fleming in 2009, by Frank Dineen in October 2016 and by William Fitzgerald with at Ryston.  Stephen Murray shot a best of the round 48 to get into the 2010 play-off.  Liam O’Donovan fired 43 to clinch second in 2014.   Derek Courtney’s 42 in the 2011 final round earned him a fourth placing. 2018 best final round (45) was recorded by PadraicSarsfield (who finished 4th) and by Sean Harkins.Dean Grannell scored 46 en route to 2nd place at Lough Owel in 2020.47 was the best score of the 2022 final round at Tullamore, recorded by both runner-up Patrick Murphy and third-placed finisher Kieran Earls.

2023 Catalan Open runner-up David Sexton is the fourth player ever to pipped for second spot on the final eighteen tiebreaker. Frank Dineen, Frank Ryan and Dean Dinnegan are the others.

Frank Dineen now boasts four podium finishes in the nine Irish Opens. The mercurial St. Anne’s man was third at Deerpark (in 2011) and fifth at Ryston in addition to his brace of victories. That’s still one shy of Damien Fleming’s five, three wins and second to Dineen at Rocklodge, having been fourth in 2014.

Irish ladies international Tara Dillon celebrated her first Irish Open success 24 years since she contested her first international Open – at Tolcinasco, Italy in millennium year.

2019 European Strokeplay champion John Cahill finished on the Irish Open podium for the first time.

Chris Scannell and Sean Harkins duelled for the Irish Over-55 Open just four miles from McDonagh where they helped Ireland to the 2003 European Team championship title, their second such European Championship victory together, having also won at Lloret in 2001.

It was a second Irish Over-55s Open podium finish for 2022 winner Anthony Galvin, third on this occasion.

Liam Malone is the third different player and fourth in all (after John Deebletwice and Tom McCormack) representing the British Pitch and Putt Association to claim best non-Irish player prize at an Irish Open.

 

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